


outsider looking in

by robinatheart (orphan_account)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Established coldwave, Eventual ColdFlashWave, Gen, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), POV Original Female Character, POV Outsider, Spoilers for Legends of Tomorrow, vague mentions of the us elections
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-24 09:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8367478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/robinatheart
Summary: Jean Morrison is two weeks into her new job as a barista and she's already met a supervillain.





	1. Chapter 1

"Is that Captain fucking Cold," hisses Jean. She's just delivered an ice-cold Flash into the hands of a supervillain and she's kind of panicking.

"Wait, he's back?" Zahra stops adjusting her hijab and peers over Jean's shoulder. Her eyes widen. "He is! I gotta tell Cora." She disappears into the back room.

"What do you mean, 'he's back'? Is Jitters, like, supervillain café?" Jean wrings her hands; she had irrationally assumed his would be cold, and she got a minor shock when her fingers brushed against his and found out they, in fact, hold the same warmth as any human being's.

"Yes, Jean, you got us. We're secretly a supervillain lair, delivering coffee to only the finest of supervillains." Sasha, manning the pastries like a boss, grins sweetly at a particularly demanding customer. Xyr expression morphs into a glare as xie stares at the grumbling man's retreating back. "I bet that asshole uses Reddit and calls himself an intellectual in his Tumblr description."

"I can't tell if you're kidding or not." Jean glances over at the subject of Sasha's ire. "Holy shit, he looks like a vampire." She squints. "Are those supposed to be dreadlocks?"

"See? He's probably sapiosexual."

The two of them make faces of disgust.

"But no, for real," says Jean, eyes flicking back over to the man sipping a Flash in a corner booth. Condensation shimmers like sequins on his cup. "What did you mean by 'he's back'?"

"His sister told us he and Heat Wave went somewhere," Zahra says, reappearing with Cora in tow. "After she flirted with me for fifteen minutes straight."

"You're not straight."

"For fifteen minutes _bi_."

"We get it, you're in love with Golden Glider." Cora rolls her eyes as she leans over the counter. "Do you think he's eating enough? He looks super skinny."

Jean nearly spills the cup she hands over to a harried-looking woman, who blinks owlishly before skittering away. " _Corazon Reyes, why are you worried about a supervillain's wellbeing?_ "

"He gave her a puppy he'd found abandoned," Sasha says, simultaneously signing... words (Jean does not know sign language; Jean is going to learn sign language)... to a new customer. "And also she wants to get into Heat Wave's pants."

Cora gasps. "I do not. That is a lie."

" _She's_ lying," Zahra stage-whispers, laughing as Cora huffs, hides a grin, and returns to the back room.

"But they're _supervillains_ ," says Jean.

"Honey, Captain Cold just as human as the rest of us. And way more decent than most." Sasha gives the signing customer a genuine smile as they leave. "He asked me for my pronouns and everyone else's day one."

"He didn't ask me for mine."

Sasha points to the white tag on Jean's shirt with "SHE/HER PRONOUNS PLEASE" Sharpie'd across it. "And he stopped flirting with me after I told him I wasn't comfortable with it," xie continues, kindly ignoring Jean's embarrassment.

"Doesn't it say something, the fact that we're all over a guy the moment he respects our basic human rights?" says Zahra thoughtfully. They exchange nods and murmurs of agreement. "Also, he makes a cute couple with Heat Wave."

"Shipping real people is problematic," Jean says.

"No no no." Zahra clears her throat while Sasha dies of laughter. "He's, like, legit married to Heat Wave. Ring and all."

"I thought Cora wanted to—"

"She already has," Zahra says gleefully. "She just wants to do it again."

"...So it's an open relationship."

"Yes, girl, you got it."

"How is this my life. I am never going to understand you people."

 

***

 

"He has a black eye. Zahra, I'm concerned."

"I knew we'd convert you to the supervillain fanclub eventually," Zahra replies, eyeing Captain Fucking Cold critically. "I think his partner might have punched him."

"Partner?" Jean whips around to stare at Zahra, nearly knocking over the pastry stand. After making sure it won't fall and leave a horrible mess on the floor and get her fired, she says, "Zahra, is Heat Wave, aka  _his husband_ , hitting him?"

"I would tell you why and then you'd understand completely and think it's reasonable," says Cora, poking her head out from the back room with Sasha at her heels, "but it's not my secret to tell."

"Why would I think it  _reasonable_."

"Ask him yourself."

At the counter, having just asked Zahra for his regular, is Captain Fucking Cold. He lifts an eyebrow (the one with the non-injured eye) and says, "I died. Can I take a Killer Frost cupcake, actually?"

"What the fucking fuck," says Jean, two minutes after Captain Fucking Cold left to enjoy his freezing coffee and freezing cupcake.

"Hey, we've got a superhero who can run really fucking fast," says Sasha. "Coming back from the dead isn't that weird." Xie pauses. "Okay, fine, maybe it is. But not _that_ out there, you know?"

"I just spoke to Captain Fucking Cold."

"Oh, is that what you're freaked out about? Don't worry, I was too when I first talked to him." Sasha pats her arm and leaves for the back room, Cora in tow.

"Tell me again why we don't call the police right now," says Jean, blinking.

"Because he's a decent human being and I want to marry his sister," says Zahra cheerfully. She clears her throat and looks Jean dead in the eye. "Don't do it for me, Jean. Golden Glider and I have an epic romance that will not survive if the police get involved. We're _star-crossed lovers_."

Jean laughs. "Fine, jeez. Have fun with that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let it be known that i have no idea what i'm doing and also that i haven't watched beyond episode 1 of legends of tomorrow. it's a problem, i know.
> 
> i'll only update this fic when i want to lol. multi-chaptered fics scare me and i don't have a plan (i don't,, plan,,). basically, it'll be coldflashwave, happening with some very nosy baristas at jitters witness to it. other than that, i have no fucking clue.
> 
> my tumblr is @robinatheart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updated tags. please check them out before reading this chapter. i don't want to make you anxious or trigger you or anything.
> 
> by the way, if anyone's curious: jean is a trans woman and homoromantic asexual. zahra is a cis woman and biromantic bisexual. sasha is non-binary (xie/xyr/xyrself) and tbh i'm not sure about xyr orientation yet. cora is an aromantic pansexual trans woman.
> 
> edited 11/20/2016 because i used "heatwave" instead of "heat wave."

"So _that's_ Heat Wave?" Jean says. The guy joining the line stands a foot taller than her, with muscles the size of basketballs; he could probably lift her above his head with one arm. In a booth in the corner, Captain Cold reads a book and waits for his partner to return.

"Isn't he dreamy," Cora says, chin propped up by her palms as she gazes longingly at Heat Wave.

"I don't think I'm the best judge of that." Jean hands a Flash to an exhausted teenager; they've been coming in by the dozens, the weight of protests carving deep bags under their eyes.

"Mm." A frown dances on the corner of Cora's mouth, a resigned slouch curving her back.

Jean looks over at Cora, brows furrowing. "Cor, you all right?" she asks tentatively. "You need a break?"

Cora sighs. "No, it's fine. It's just... my parents are freaking out and making plans to move to Canada, where my older sister lives. They want me to go with them."

"Are you going to?"

"No." Cora's expression hardens. "I'm spiteful and staying here. Besides, Heatwave Jr. needs me."

Jean's eyebrows unfurrow and instead climb toward her hairline. "Heat Wave Jr.?"

"The puppy. I named him Mick, so. Heat Wave Jr."

"Huh." Jean drops off another Flash to another tired millennial. "What breed is he?"

Cora wrinkles her nose thoughtfully. "I don't know. He's probably part Rottweiler or something."

"Ooh. I love Rotties."

"They're adorable."

"What's adorable?" the person directly in front of Jean asks. She looks up and starts. Because. That's Heat Wave. Like, right in front of her. Looming.

"Um," says Jean. "Puppies." That wasn't even a lie, but she feels like she's been caught fangirling over a supervillain couple.

Heat Wave considers that for a long, tense second. Then he nods in agreement and moves on. "Two Flashes, please. One ice-cold, the other fire-hot."

Jean stares. "Really." Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Cora choking on laughter.

Heat Wave lifts a brow. "Yeah." His lip twitches in what might have been a smirk. Cora is double thumbs-upping supportively by the pastry stand, grinning like the canary who got the cat.

Jean continues staring at Heat Wave. Heat Wave stares right back. Finally, without breaking eye contact, Jean says, "Coming right up."

 

***

 

" _You should've seen your face,_ " Cora cackles. Sasha and Zahra have taken over, which means Jean and Cora are in the back room. "You were just _looking him right in the eye_ like you were just _so_ unimpressed. It was amazing."

Jean hides a smile. "That pun was really bad."

"Oh my God, that's not even the worst of it. Like, before Captain Cold went on his world-saving trip with his husband like the weirdest vacation ever, he would not stop saying 'chill out' whenever people were being assholes. Somebody was complaining you got their name wrong? 'Chill out.' Somebody was criticizing your tone? 'Chill out.' Somebody was—"

Jean grins and laughs like the past couple of weeks never happened. They're going to be all right. All of them. They just need to keep moving, keep fighting, keep surviving. The sun'll come out tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so short but at this point i'm beyond caring.
> 
> i live in the philippines but a lot of my friends are in america and i'm honestly so terrified for them. i just want them and everyone that could potentially be hurt by the elections to be safe. if you live in america and you're reading this and you feel scared and alone, know that there's somebody out there who cares about you. you will get through this.
> 
> my tumblr is @robinatheart. i'm always happy to receive asks.


End file.
